Integrated circuits are being made which operate at increasingly faster speeds while taking up a minimal amount of space. As a result, these integrated circuits generate high amounts of heat that must be removed from the integrated circuit in order for the integrated circuit to operate at its maximum performance level. Typically a heatsink is coupled to the integrated circuit to aid in removing heat generated by the integrated circuit.
A variety of mechanisms have been utilized to secure a heatsink to an integrated circuit such as a Land Grid Array (LGA). The LGA device is typically situated in a socket on a printed circuit board and clamped in place with the heatsink. One prior art mechanism utilized a plurality of springs and screws to clamp the device between a socket and heatsink. Each screw was individually adjusted to provide proper biasing of the device within the socket and to provide a strong thermal conduction path between a surface of the heatsink and the device. A drawback associated with such a mechanism is the difficulty in providing uniform pressure to the heatsink, integrated circuit, and the socket. This mechanism is also difficult to assemble due in part to the numerous parts and alignment required. Additional attempts included the use of a combination of spring clamps and clips to secure the heatsink to the socket with the device positioned therebetween. This attempt required the use of a specialized socket and heatsink, and did not allow for adjustment of the tension between the heatsink, device and socket. It would be desirable to have a mechanism that can provide uniform pressure between a heatsink, device and socket and for such a mechanism to be simple to implement and low in cost.